Conveyer for endless-rope railways



3 SheetsSheet 1.

(No Model.)

0. L. VAN BUSKIRK. I GONVEYER FORBND'LESS ROPE RAILWAYS. No. 60 3,215.

Patented Apr. 26, 1898.

Mummy 1 0 lctow 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

c. L. VAN -B'USKIRK.. CONVEYER ENDLESSRDPE RAILWAYS. No. 603,215.

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Patented. Apr. 26, 1898.

W? S F m K R I .K .S U B N A V L G (No Model.)

GONVEYER FOR ENDLESS ROPE RAILWAYS. No. 603,215.

Patented Apr. 26, 1898.

UNITED STATES? PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. VAN BUSKIRK, OF LODI, CALIFORNIA.

CONVEYER FOR ENDLESS-ROPE RAILWAYSI SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 603,215, dated April 26, 1898.

Application filed January 10, 1898. Serial No. 666,223. (No model.)

,To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. VAN Bus- KIRK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lodi, in the county-of San Joaquin and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oonveyers for EndlessRope Railways; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact deof the device, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims. V

The accompanying drawings show my invention in the best form now known to me; but many changes in the details might be made within the skill of a good mechanic without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the claims at the end of this specification.

The same reference characters in the several views indicate the same partsof the dev1ce.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one of the conveyer-cable supports. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the same on the line a; 41:, Fig. 2. Fig.4 is a horizontal section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of one of the conveyer-heads. Fig. 7 is a transverse view of the same.

1 denotes a bracket, fixed at its upper end to a suitable-support, and to its lower end is fixed a horizontal plate 2, the longitudinal parallel edges of which are formed with the rectangular guide-grooves 3 3. 4 represents a vertical arm depending from said plate, and to its lower end is fixed a triangular guideshoe 5.

6 6 denote vertical parallel rollers mounted between the plate 2 and theshoe 5 and par-' allel with the arm 4.

7 represents a longitudinal semicircular the upper edge of the collar 9.

14 represents a sliding bracket formed with horizontal parallel jaws 15 15, having the tongues 16 16 formed on their inner faces to engage the grooves 3 3 on the plate 2, so as to permit a longitudinal sliding movement of said bracket with reference to said plate. 17 denotes a depending arm formed integral with said bracket and corresponding to and arranged parallel with the arm 4 on the plate 2. Thelower end of said arm 17 is provided with an integralguide-shoe 18, it being a counterp'art'of, the fixed shoe 5.

19 19 denote vertical parallel rollers mounted between the bracket 14 and the shoe 18,

and 20 denotes alongitudinal semicircular bearing-socket formed in the upper face of the shoe 18 and alined with the corresponding socket 7 in the shoe 5, and. 21 denotes a semicircular groove-formed at the inner end of said bearing 20, contiguous to the arm 17, to receive the collar 22, formed integral with the inner end of the longitudinal horizontal roller 23. A stud 24, carrying a friction-sleeve 25, is fixed in the inner face of the arm 17,

above the collar 22,which forms a bearing for the upper edge of said collar.

26 denotes a cylindrical guide-rod having oneend fixed in the arm 4 and the other end extending through a guide-orifice 27 in the opposite arm 17, and 28 represents a rollersleeve loosely journaled on said guide-rod.

29 denotesa U-shaped bolt having its parallel threaded ends extending through the arm 4, and they are provided-with the ad-l j usting-nuts 3O 30. The yoked end of this bolt 29 extends through the movable'arm17, and it terminates in a right-angular plate 31, the lower end of which is provided with a guide-orifice 32 to receive the projecting end of a guide-rod 33, having its inner end fixed in the arm 17, and 34 represents a spiral spring encompassing said rod between the plate 31 and the arm 17 the tension of which l is exerted to hold the contiguous edges of the shoes 5 and 18 in contact, so that the alined rollers 23 will form abearing for the cable and at the same time permit the shoes to separate for the passage of the conveyer-head 36 and close again after the conveyer-head has passed to support the cable.

The conveyer-head 36 consists of two counterpart jaws 37 38, longitudinally hinged together on the bolt 39, and their contiguous faces are formed with longitudinal grooves 40 40 to receive the cable 35, and these grooves are preferably babbitted to more effectually grip the cable when clamped between them. Thesejaws are formed with depending shanks 41 41, to the opposite sides of the lower ends of which are removably secured the parallel bars 42 42 by means of the transverse bolts 43 43, which also form the means for compressing the cable between the jaws 37 38.

44 denotes a link, and 45 a hook, both of which are pivoted between said bars 42 42 on suitable cross-bolts, as shown. The opposite ends of the conveyer-head 36 are spear-pointed, as shown, their converging beveled faces 46 46 coming in contact with the diverginglybeveled faces 47 47 of the shoes 5 and 18, thus pressing the shoe 18 and the roller 23 away from the fixed shoe 5 to permit the passage of the conveyer-head between them, the spiral spring 34 serving to restore the movable parts after the conveyer-head has passed through.

48 denotes a U-shaped bracket having its free ends pivoted to the bolt 40 on each side of the main bracket 1, and in its yoked end is journaled a friction -roller 50, which is adapted to bear on the upper plane face of the sliding bracket 14 to preserve its horizontal alinement while the conveyer-head is passing through the support, thus preventing the tendency of the tongues 16 16 to bind in the grooves 3 3. This bracket 48 is formed with a yoke 51 to receive a set-screw 52, by means of which the pressure of the roller on the bracket 14 may be regulated.

lVhile this conveyer system is primarily designed for use in connection with a logging or cable railway, it will of course be understood as being equally adapted for any cablerailway conveyer system.

The operation of the device is so simple and readily understood as to require little further description. The cable being carried through the supports, as shown in Fig. 1, the articles to be transported, being connected or attached to the hook 45 or link 44, are readily conveyed from one end of the line to the other.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A cable-railway support comprising the grooved plate 2 formed with the depending arm 4 and the integral horizontal shoe 5 formed with the bearing-socket 7 and semicircular groove 8, in combination with the spring-actuated bracket 14 sliding on said plate and formed with the integral arm 17, shoe 18, bearing-socket 20 and semicircular groove 21, and the rollers 10, 23 provided at their outer ends with the collars 9 and 22, respectively, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination with the grooved plate 2 formed with the depending arm 4 and the integral shoe 5 provided with the bearingsocket 7 and semicircular groove 8, the rollers 10, 9 journaled in said socket, and the vertical parallel rollers 6, 6, journaled between the plate and shoe, of the spring-actuated bracket 14 sliding on said plate and provided with the integral arm 17, shoe 18, bearing-socket 20 and groove 21, the roller 23, 22 journaled in said socket 20, the vertical parallel rollers 19, 19, journaled between the bracket 14 and shoe 18 and the longitudinal roller-sleeve 2S journaled between the arms 4 and 17, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination with the grooved plate 2, its integral arm 4 and shoe 5, of the bracket 14 having a sliding movement in the grooves of said plate and formed with the integral arm 17 and shoe 18, the U-shaped bolt connecting said arms 4 and 17 and provided with the right-angular plate 31, and the spring 34 extending between said plate 31 and the arm 17, substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination with the plate 2 formed with the parallel grooves 3, 3, of the sliding bracket 14 formed with the parallel jaws 15, having the tongues 16 engaging said grooves, the bracket 48 adj ustably secured to said plate and the roller journaled in the free end of said bracket 48 and adapted to rest on the plane face of the sliding bracket 14, substantially as shown and described.

5. The conveyer-head 36 comprising the hinged jaws 37, 38 formed with the longitudinal grooves 40, 40, the eonvergingly-beveled faces 46, 46, and the integral parallel shanks 41, 41, the parallel bars 42, 42, arranged on the opposite sides of said shanks and means forsimultaneouslysecuring said bars, shanks and jaws together, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES L. VAN BUSKIRK.

\Vitnesses:

BENJ. G. CowL, SYLvEsTER OASSELL. 

